Guide: Genjutsu
Genjutsu System Genjutsu (幻術; Lit. “Art of Illusions”) is the third, and least common of the basic combat specialties for a ninja. Ninjutsu and Taijutsu both apply damage to the physical realm, while Genjutsu is the only one to damage the mental realm. Much like Ninjutsu, Genjutsu require hand seals and large consumptions of chakra to properly perform. Genjutsu however do not affect the physical realm like Ninjutsu, and can in no way affect non-living or environmental things. Genjutsu only affect the mental realm. That means even if a Genjutsu creates a ball of fire, and flames felt are simply illusions struck into the target’s mind, and cannot cause physical damage to the afflicted. Because the mind is limitless and ever expanding, so are the possible uses for Genjutsu. Whether it be a simple distraction, or a traumatizing mental image; Genjutsu is by far the most versatile of the three, but also the most difficult to utilize effectively. It is also important to note that genjutsu takes a toll on the mind of those afflicted, wearing them out mentally in place of physically. As a result, those placed under genjutsu for extended amounts of time can suffer from exhaustion and weariness from mental stress. Given the nature of Genjutsu and in an effort to prevent confusion, it should be noted that only one Genjutsu can affect a target at a time. The Basics Like Ninjutsu and its variants, Genjutsu requires the usage of hand seals and chakra concentration to use. The main difference is that Ninjutsu creates physical change, while Genjutsu manipulates the mind of others. And like all other jutsu, Genjutsu must be placed in spoilers at the end of posts. There are three methods to utilizing Genjutsu and all techniques must fall into these categories. That being said there are three distinct categories of Genjutsu, each with their own specific benefits. The three categories are, Optical Based Illusions, Sensory Based Illusions and Memory Based Illusions. Optical Based Illusions: These are essentially illusions that use chakra to bend or refract light to create and/or modify images in existence. These illusions are based on natural "illusions" that can be found on Earth; such as rainbows and mirages that can even be captured on film! Such techniques as False Placement or Haze Clones would fall under this category of Genjutsu, as they create images out of chakra, but do not directly send chakra to the enemy’s minds. Essentially creating a "physical" illusion that everyone can see. Do note, that Optical Illusions, as they are called, only affect what is seen, and cannot influence the other senses. If it affects any other sense simultaneously, it cannot be an optical based illusion. Optical illusions have the benefit of a fairly different release method from most Genjutsu. These illusions work very similarly to Area of Effect Genjutsu; in that if one person releases the Genjutsu using Kai (not pain), they may disperse the effect of the Genjutsu for everyone. Even though they may easily be dispelled, they are incredibly difficult to notice due to their very hidden nature. These optical illusions cannot be used to completely hide or mask an object or person; but rather change the appearance of an object, or make an image of an object appear. As such, Optical Illusions have their own “Medium.” Sensory Based Illusions: These are the most common Genjutsu, they can captivate single or multiple targets and their potential is almost limitless as to what they can create. Many of the Genjutsu displayed in the Anime and Manga fall under this category, and are all around basic manipulation of the target’s perception of reality. That being said all Genjutsu can act only on the standard senses dictated by the sensory systems in your body, those being; *Vision: The Sense of Sight, every Genjutsu that affects something you see by extension affects your visual sense. This can be something like; making something invisible, changing appearance, or creating a fireball. *Auditory:Your Sense of Hearing, every Genjutsu that affects/creates something you hear affects your auditory sense. This can be something as simple as a meager dripping sound to annoy your opponent, or to removing their entire sense of hearing. *Somatic Sensation: Your Sense of Touch, every Genjutsu that affects something you feel physically falls under the dictation of this category. This could be something as simple as inducing pain, changing one's perception of temperature or numbing of the body. *Gustatory: Your Sense of Taste, every Genjutsu that affects what you taste falls under the dictation of this category. A more rare category of Genjutsu, these techniques could be something as simple as creating a metallic taste in an opponent's mouth. *Olfaction: Your Sense of Smell, every Genjutsu that affects what you smell falls under the dictation of this category. This could be something as simple as creating the smell of smoke to go along with a fire based illusion, to creating a strong smell to torment your Inuzuka opponent. *Vestibular The Vestibular sense dictates your sense of balance and by extension your movement. Genjutsu techniques that manipulate this category of sense will obviously be able to impede the balance of the user. That being said, these are usually reserved for B rank or higher Genjutsu. *Kinesthetic: The term Kinesthetics refers to your spacial awareness of your body. It accounts for feeling your body as well as controlling it. A Genjutsu that manipulates this category would likely force the target to suddenly loose feeling or awareness in a limb. *Temporal: The temporal field of Genjutsu manipulation revolves around the control or manipulation of the target's perception of time, making it speed up or slow down as per the specifications of the technique. This form of manipulation is exceptionally difficult and only seen in higher ranking techniques. Because these jutsu can affect more senses, they can be both easy and difficult to notice. Obvious things like the world spinning would be easy, but such things as an A-rank fireball Genjutsu that mimics the feeling of fire and the visual and vocal effects would be difficult. Though these Genjutsu may be very powerful, they are limited to the minds of those affected upon activation of the Genjutsu. Therefore if one were to enter the topic or area of effect after the Genjutsu has been activated, they will not fall under its influence. Mental Genjutsu have multiple, more specific, mediums to choose from, and are therefore far more versatile than Optical Illusions. Lastly, Sensory Genjutsu require triggers in order to work; a trigger is an action or object which catches the attention of one of the target(s) senses. After that point, the genjutsu is triggered. The exception to this are area of effect genjutsu which utilizes space to catch their target, like a net. Memory Based Genjutsu: Whilst not a standard combat oriented branch of Genjutsu, Memory Based Techniques are by definition Genjutsu techniques that affect areas of the mind, namely memory. These techniques have almost no combat application as they require an immense amount of focus to utilize properly. This branch of Genjutsu may allow users to enter the memories of the target by means of interrogation and at advanced levels create false memories. All techniques involving this style of Genjutsu revolve around controlling the chakra flow to the Hippocampus, the region of the brain where memory is stored. This type of Genjutsu is limited soely to the Yamanka clan as an extention to their skills of mental manipulation. Genjutsu, like all other forms of trickery and deception can obviously be realized and stopped. To do so, one must first realize that they are in said Genjutsu, through In Character (IC) methods. One cannot simply notice that they are in a Genjutsu, unless there is a viable reason and cause to it. If the Genjutsu is obvious, than it should be simple to see through it; but if the Genjutsu is well thought out and difficult to detect, the afflicted may not magically discover their presence in it. If there is not a viable explanation as to how or why the character saw through the Genjutsu, than they are probably Meta-gaming. Genjutsu and Emotions: Given the above listed descriptions on what Genjutsu can do, it seems best to clarify on the things that Genjutsu absolutely are incapable of doing. Given that as stated Genjutsu affect the senses and can create illusions which fool the perception of these senses. Genjutsu however, cannot dictate how a person will act inside a technique they can't change or create emotions or directly make existing emotions more prominent (like induce rage with genjutsu). They are only capable of indirectly inspiring emotions in a target. You might create an illusion of a massive spider, with the intent of frightening your target, but the emotional response is entirely up to the target's perception. Dispelling Genjutsu: Figuring out you’re inside a Genjutsu is only half the task though. Just because you know you’re getting beaten up doesn't necessarily mean you have the ability to defend yourself. The same applies for Genjutsu entrapment. There are only a few methods of completely nullifying Genjutsu, but these methods aren't very difficult. They simply require the physical aptitude to do so. The three major methods of releasing a Genjutsu are Pain, Kai, and Help. *Pain | The act of receiving physical trauma, that will otherwise cause the mind to focus on it rather than the Genjutsu itself. This can be either pain from an attack used by another person; or pain self inflicted by the user. The pain must be strong enough to overcome the mental occupation of the Genjutsu. Thus simply pinching one’s self or a punch to the face would not disrupt the Genjutsu, but stabbing one’s self or striking a vital nerve will do the trick. Because higher level Genjutsu have stronger effects and therefore higher influence on the mind, they may not be released via this method. Genjutsu C-rank and below may be released with pain, while A-rank and above cannot. B-rank Genjutsu may also be canceled through this method, but it requires excruciating pain, usually equal to something that may otherwise knock out the weaker willed. *Kai | This is the most common and least life threatening method of dispelling Genjutsu, and can be applied to any Genjutsu, provided the afflicted are of high enough rank. Kai itself is a D-rank Ninjutsu which any C-rank ninja may get, regardless of specialty. It is highly advised one chooses this technique, else they suffer indefinitely at the hands of a Genjutsu wielder. Kai itself requires the user to concentrate their chakra and essentially stop all flow in their body, consuming chakra. The user must then restart this flow, which consumes additional chakra. The magnitude of the Genjutsu determines the amount of chakra required to completely stop the flow of chakra and overcome the Genjutsu itself. The amount of chakra required to dispel a Genjutsu is equal to the Genjutsu chakra cost, plus 2CP. Thus an A-rank jutsu with a chakra cost of 22CP would require 24CP to dispel. There are few exceptions, which are detailed later in the rules. Genjutsu users gain no advantage when using Kai, though they are able to more easily notice that they are trapped in a Genjutsu because of their versatility in the art. *Help | The least common method, and something that is usually very difficult to do. This requires the help of another character (non-NPC). The other member may not be inside a Genjutsu, and must realize that their ally is actually caught in a Genjutsu. To break their ally free, the member must make physical contact with the afflicted person, and apply half of the Genjutsu’s chakra cost into the afflicted (rounded up). Therefore a Genjutsu that has the chakra cost of 23 will require 12CP applied into the fellow ninja to dispel. This chakra is not given to the other member, and is lost in the process. This can be done for any and all Genjutsu, and is the absolute simplest way of removing a Genjutsu; but also the most circumstantial. Please remember, that it still requires the member knowing that they are trapped in a Genjutsu to break free from it via the first two methods. The third method requires the ally somehow figuring out that their comrade is in a Genjutsu. There are alternative methods for breaking out of a Genjutsu, but it requires either a Kekkei Genkai or some sort of blood-related trait which hones their abilities in such a practice. Genjutsu Resistance It is possible to resist certain Genjutsu, but never become fully immune to Genjutsu. The only way one could become immune to Genjutsu would be to remove all of their senses, although that is hardly a rational idea. Resistance in Genjutsu is possible by either the lacking of a certain sense (ie. being blind or deaf), or using a machine that increases the user’s perception in a certain Genjutsu field. The mechanism in question would require constant and significant usage, and can only be used to improve a single sense to otherwise overcome Genjutsu. A prime example would be Deidara’s mechanical scope. Mechanisms must be approved as equipment, and must be implanted by a medical ninja appropriately. An alternative method for resisting Genjutsu is via a Kekkei Genkai or Dojutsu. This bloodline trait would require in depth reasoning as to why it can in fact resist the Genjutsu, and if it’s relevant to the rest of the bloodline itself. Having a clan that can create the Ice element and become immune to Genjutsu makes no sense; but a clan that has chakra seeing Dojutsu may view the disturbance in chakra and resist it. The reasoning must also be clear. A Dojutsu cannot simply see through Genjutsu unless there is a specified reason. Byakugan, Sharingan and Rinnegan are able to resist Genjutsu because of their ability to see chakra, and chakra disturbances. They may notice when allies or themselves are affected by Genjutsu, but cannot actually pierce Genjutsu or immediately dispel it. Also, if a Genjutsu (or any jutsu for that matter) was able to somehow disable the eyes of the Dojutsu user (whether it be disabling the nerve impulses to the brain and overwriting them, or just stabbing their eyes), they will be unable to see the chakra disturbance, and would otherwise be unable to verify whether they or an ally is in Genjutsu. Dojutsu can in no way do the following: *Make the user immune to Genjutsu. *Allow the user to see through Genjutsu and know what effects it has on the afflicted. *Function if they are blinded or have had their vision overwritten by a Genjutsu. *Immediately dispel a Genjutsu through methods similar to Kai or Pain.